Perio, Inc. Afidence Welcomes as New Client

The histories of Perio, Inc., Barbasol® and Pure Silk® are all very rich. Barbasol was created in 1919, Perio, Inc. began as Columbus Dental in 1903, and eventually the two crossed paths in 2001 -- creating new history ever since. Choose one of the links below to read its history.

PERIO, INC.

Perio, Inc. began as Columbus Dental, back in 1903. The company made its success producing Steele's facings (individual replacement teeth attached to gold or silver backings). The company eventually became known as Franklin Dental in 1981.

In time, the company changed its name to Perio, Inc. and launched other dental initiatives such as Fresh Stix Interdental Cleaners, Smile Wax for Braces, Slimer Toothpaste and Morgan & Berry Breath Freshener, among others.

After achieving much success in the dental industry, Perio purchased several hair removal brands, Nudit and Hers, which, in 1997, began the company’s shift from dentistry to shaving.

In 2001, the company continued this trend and purchased the Barbasol brand from Pfizer. Since then, Perio has focused its efforts on innovating the brand, taking it to new levels.

It was the “roaring twenties.” Life was good here in America. But for MIT professor Frank Shields, it just wasn’t good enough. He had a tough beard, sensitive skin and that mug shaving soap just wasn’t doing it for him.

So Shields concocted something to take care of his tough beard without irritating his sensitive skin. He called it Barbasol, a combination of the Roman word ‘barba,’ meaning beard, and ‘solution.’ The barber's solution that became an American icon.

A small second-floor room in downtown Indianapolis became the home for the Barbasol Company, where tubes of the shaving cream were filled entirely by hand. Only 30-40 dozen could be produced per day.

Before long, the brand was endorsed by such legendary sports figures as Babe Ruth and Knute Rockne, among others.

For more than 40 years the Barbasol Company thrived. In the 1950’s aerosol cans were introduced and Barbasol got the look we all recognize today. In 1962, pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer, purchased the Barbasol Company.

After years of success under Pfizer's ownership, the brand became somewhat dormant. Innovation slowed. The brand failed to change with the times. Awareness decreased and the name Barbasol lost a lot of the massive status it once had.

BARBASOL AND PERIO

But everything changed in 2001 when Perio purchased Barbasol from Pfizer. Perio began focusing all of its efforts on the shave cream industry to breathe renewed life into the brand.

Barbasol now offers five varieties of its famous shave cream as well as three types of after shave. With this exciting activity, the Barbasol brand is experiencing more growth than it has in the last 40 years.

Perio re-launched Pure Silk, the women's line, in 2003 and it has been growing rapidly ever since.

PURE SILK

Women across the country found the flagship fragrances, Raspberry Mist and Melon Splash, to be wonderful additions to their shaving routine. Since then, there have been several additions to the Pure Silk family: Coconut & Oat Flour, Plumeria, Cherry Blossom, Sensitive Skin and Dry Skin. Pure Silk has become increasingly popular, and continues to grow as more and more women discover the benefits of using a moisturizing shave cream on their legs.

Pure Silk Raspberry Mist is also available as a gel and a travel size.